Smoking ban bill fails in MSA Senate

Senators discussed a possible compromise that bans smoking from popular locations.

By Campbell Massie

Published Dec. 5, 2008

The Missouri Students Association Senate voted down a bill Tuesday urging administrators to prohibit smoking on campus both indoors and on MU grounds.

MSA barely voted down the bill with a tied 15-to-15 vote between the senators.

Senate Speaker Jonathan Mays chose not to break the tie and the bill failed to receive the simple majority needed.

Senator Ryan Senciboy cited information from both the American Lung Association and the Office of the Surgeon General that do not identify smoking outside as a serious issue. The Surgeon General's Web site stated that people are protected from secondhand smoke when the smoker is in the open air, while the ALA suggests that people ask smokers to go outside while they smoke.

Senciboy said he could not find any research referencing the dangers of secondhand smoke outdoors where the smoke can dissipate.

Senator Josh Travis spoke in favor of the bill, arguing that its passage would be accepting the inevitable and taking up the mantle of leadership by pushing for a smoke-free campus. He said that though most students can smoke as legal adults, a majority of students do not.

"We have the right to be in a healthy environment," Travis said.

The bill would have limited smoking to designated areas, defined by anti-smoking advocate Traci Harr as parking lots and garages.

One thing that was not mentioned in the Senate meeting that might have helped the bill's argument, bill sponsor Craig Stevenson said, is smoking cannot be banned on sidewalks on city streets, which are accessible on campus.

So though the bill would have banned smoking on campus grounds, sidewalks along streets would still be fair game.

Stevenson said supporters are waiting to see what their options are with more anti-smoking legislation. One option is drafting a new bill that would take a step back from the last bill. After talking to some of the strongest opponents of the bill, some who agreed that the campus might go smoke-free eventually, Stevenson believes they can strike a compromise.

"They didn't think that bill took enough steps to get to that point," Stevenson said.

Senciboy, who made a speech opposing the bill, plans to help draft a compromise between the two sides.

Stevenson said he believes it would be possible to ban smoking in high-traffic areas of campus such as Lowry Mall and the area between Strickland Hall and Brady Commons.

"I think that we need to do something about smoking near entrances of buildings," Senciboy said.

The Senate also approved Multicultural Issues Committee Chairwoman Alex Holley as well as passing an initiative to recruit more members to the committee. Committee member Kevin Gray said he saw the bill as formalizing everything the committee has already been doing this semester.

A resolution was also passed to urge administrators to create a Chancellor's Standing Committee to study supplemental fees.